We are not interested in work that venerates an old (or new) white South, promotes a southern nation, or pines for the days of the Confederacy. The plural “cultures” in our name is intentional and is meant to recognize a region of many peoples, histories, memories, and interpretations.

We are especially interested in reader-friendly essays and articles that engage southern topics in a broad and accessible manner, while retaining scholarly rigor.

Our full-length essays and articles generally run 15–20 double-spaced manuscript pages (3,750–5,000 words). Under this format, introductions should offer our non-specialist, non-scholarly readers a context for topics but should not survey the relevant historiography in detail. Please keep technical or discipline-specific jargon to a minimum, read Southern Cultures for style, and check Submittable for our up-to-date production schedule and deadlines.

Our shorter features, which typically run 8–14 pages (2,000–3,500 words), include: Upbeat Down South (music), Not Forgotten (personal reminiscences), Beyond Grits and Gravy (food), Southern Voices (interviews), South Polls (surveys on contemporary trends), and Mason–Dixon Lines (poetry). We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts for South Polls or Mason–Dixon Lines and regret that we are not currently accepting book reviews.

Photo or art essay submissions should include 10–25 high resolution (at least 1.5 MB) images, along with a short introduction of 200–300 words and captions/identifying information for the images submitted.

Please submit your work via Submittable, paying special attention to the appropriate category (General Submission or Special Issue Submission).

We do not accept simultaneous submissions and ask that you do not submit your work elsewhere while it is under consideration at Southern Cultures. In preparing your manuscript, please double space and use 12-point Times New Roman font and 1.25-inch margins (left/right). Notes should be numbered sequentially and placed at the end of the article as endnotes. Please consult the Chicago Manual of Style for endnote formatting questions.

All submissions are subject to review by the editors and by external referees and will be copyedited for style and clarity. Authors transfer copyright of accepted work to Southern Cultures, although we are pleased to grant authors permission to reprint their essays with acknowledgement upon request. We do our best to respond to submissions within 8 weeks.

Phew! You made it to the end. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] if you have questions about a specific topic or submission.